value in our great teachers. -- valuing our great teachers. [applause] i do not know any teacher who got into for the pay. the teachers who are here, you got into it for the kids, for the satisfaction of feeling that you are passing on knowledge that young people i did not know any teacher who got into it for the pay. the teachers who are here, you got into it for the kids, for the satisfaction of feeling like you're passing on knowledge that these young people will use and carry on for the rest of their lives. we need to reward you by letting you make more of a difference for kids. we need to build on what is being done here at kenmore.

give our teachers more time to learn from each other, mentor h. other, more responsibilities in their schools. and to replace the they need -- the baby boomers, we need to recruit a whole new generation of teachers including the 100,000 a matter science teachers over the next decade. -- math and science teachers. these of the steps we're going to have to take to fix no child left behind. together with what we already doing to make college more affordable, and i am confident these reforms will help us to meet the goal i set when i took office. by the end of the decade, we will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world. we will be number one again. that is my priority. [applause] these steps will require reforms, a change in roles, standards, and attitudes. there is no avoiding the fact that it will also cost some money. fixing our failing schools costs money. it requires reform, but it costs money. recruiting and reporting the

best teachers will cost money. making it possible for families to send their children to college costs money. after a decade of deficits, there is not a lot of money to go around. by understand that. -- i understand that. we're going to have to cut whatever spending we can cut. i have called on a five-year freeze on annual domestic spending. that will cut the deficit by more than $400 billion over the next decade. it will make that kind of spending a much smaller share of the economy. we will find other ways to get under control. we cannot be reckless and read cannot be irresponsible about

how we cut. let me make this plain. we cannot cut education. we cannot cut the things that will make america more competitive. [cheers and applause] think about what happens to your own family and when someone loses a job or has a no less, you need to cut back. -- has an illness, you cut back. you watch television instead going to the movies. you start packing your own lunch. there are things that you might do. the last thing you are going to do is dig into your child's college savings. that is too important. you are not going to give that up. what is true for your family is true for the american family. [applause]

it is the same principles. a budget that sacrifice is our commitment to education would be a budget that sacrifices our country's future. that would be a budget that sacrifices our children's future. i will not allow that to happen. [applause] yes, i am determined to cut our deficit, but i refuse to do it by telling students here who are so full of promise that we're not willing to invest in your future. i do not much to tell these young people than their education is not a priority. -- i do not want to tell these young people that their education is not a priority. katherine says she wants the ability to be who she wants to be. issuance to be a professional violinist for the first woman president of the united states. [applause]

katherine isn't sure yet. she might do both. you could do it one at a time. professional violinist, president. or roberto. where's roberto? right here. he says with good schools and good teachers, we can grow to be anything we want. [applause] it turns out roberto wants to be the first hispanic president of the united states. [applause] you guys will have to work out the sequence. [laughter] roberto, katherine, and the millions of students like them across the country, they need us to offer them the best education possible not only because that is how they will succeed, not only because that

is how we go out to be countries around the world, but because that is what we do. that is who we are. that is what america is about. we are a place that plays every child, no matter where they come from, can grow up to be anything they want to. katherine, roberto, or a skinny kid with a funny name like barack obama can grow up to the president of the united states. that is who we are. that is the commitment we make to the next generation. i am confident that if we fix no child left behind come if we continue to reform american education, continue to invest in our children park's future, that is the american we will always be. thank you. god bless you. god bless the united states of america. [applause] ["stars and stripes forever"]

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♪ ♪ >> in the 21st century, it is not enough to leave no job behind. we need to help every child get ahead. we need to get every child on a path to academic excellence. >> obama has called on congress to overhaul the notion all left behind education law. follow the law from its start in the bush administration, its proponents and detractors, and where it stands today, online at

the c-span video library. it is washington, your way. >> general david petraeus commands u.s. forces in afghanistan and will be on capitol hill tomorrow to give his assessment on the security situation in afghanistan. the u.s. is scheduled to begin withdrawing forces this summer from that country. live coverage from the senate armed services committee at 9:30 a.m. eastern on c-span3. later, the assistant secretary of the navy for energy and the environment will testify about u.s. military operations in the pacific, including japan. live coverage from the house armed services subcommittee on readiness starts at 2:00 p.m. eastern. now, discussion on u.s. public transportation policy.

deputy transportation secretary discusses the obama administration's transportation budget priorities for next year. we'll also hear from an ohio congressman and an oregon congressman. the american public transportation association hosted this conference. >> good morning. you can do better than that. good morning. i think we are almost there. if you could take your seats, we would like to get this morning's opening session underway. good morning again, and welcome to washington d.c. i am so pleased that so many of you were able to come from all over the country to join us out are 36 -- at our 36 and

legislative conference. this is a great turnout in the. i hope you got a chance to see kirk -- charlie cooke yesterday and give you some insights into the politics here in washington, and a little bit of a cogent look ahead to what we might expect. we just came from and all inspiring speech by governor tommy thompson, who recently joined us as an adviser on our transportation issues. i think he presented a great perspective for each of us as we do our work in washington this week. our list of great speakers continues. in a few minutes we will hear from the deputy u.s. transportation secretary, a longtime active member of the transportation fraternity and a good friend of apta. later we will hear from our

deputy administrator, karen ray, and an agency we don't often hear from, but we are very pleased that the transportation security administration will be represented by the chief of staff, and he will be giving us an update on the activities that are so important to us in the area of transportation security. later today we will hear from congressional staff and will close out the day with some good buys from a veteran congressman from ohio and from oregon. at the end of the day we will have a much better picture of what is going on in washington, what is being proposed, and what we might do about it. tomorrow we will have some additional great speakers. we are expecting secretary ray lahood from the u.s. department

of transportation, we are expecting the chair of the transportation and infrastructure committee from florida, and the ranking member from the railroad subcommittee in the house, also from florida. we have a good lineup for you. we will be hearing from republicans, democrats, from the administration, from congress, from manyfold folks who know their way around washington very well. we are here and washington at a very important time, not only for public transportation and the millions and millions of americans who rely on public transportation, but in deed for our communities, our economy, and our country. for most americans, 2010 was a difficult year, and it was a difficult year for those of us in public transportation as well. many of you had to take very

difficult decisions. you had to raise fares. we are not allowed to have an unbalanced budget, so you had to raise those prices sometimes. sometimes you had to cut service. reluctantly, sometimes layoffs were part of the mix. for our business members, it meant fewer orders, and not able to maintain the work forces to the levels that they would like. it has been a difficult year, but the first part of 2011, things look like they are looking up for us and for the country. we are glad to see that very high unemployment rate seems to be coming down. we are certainly seeing more optimism than there has been, and hopefully 2011 will be a better year. one of the things we have already seen in 2011 is higher gas prices. that certainly does not make anyone happy, and of course, for

public transit is a double-edged sword. the good part of higher gas prices is, it means more americans will be seeking alternatives to how they travel. we are often that alternative. already we are getting reports from round the country of double-digit ridership growth. of course that comes with a mixed blessing. we are glad to have more riders, but because of the economic downturn and the issues i just spoke of, many of you have less service to offer today. so it is more important than ever that we have additional investment in public transportation to accommodate those americans who want to make that choice. now we know that when people choose to use public transportation, many good things happen. not only do they have a way to get around and do the things that make their life better and

more complete, but we know that this is good for the economy. we know that households that choose to use public transportation can save on average $9,900 a year. that is more than most households spent on food. if you think of it this way, public transportation, you can get your food for free. in essence, that is what it is. we know from experience that more americans will start to use public transportation, and we remember 2007 and 2008, when transit usage was at record levels. what i have asked our research department to do is examine that history. see what we might expect if, as many economists are predicting, gas prices already above four dollars a gallon on the west coast and in some communities,

if gas prices generally go to four dollars or maybe $5, what happens if they hit $6? we will have and our information center and on our website, you'll see a report we are releasing called the potential impact of gasoline price increases on transit ridership. i want to take a look at this, because it will give you some insight on what you need to be planning for in your system. if that average price of gas goes over $4 across the whole country, we would expect an additional 670 million rides. that is 2 million more rides a day on public transportation. how about if that price goes above $5 a gallon? a definite possibility, according to many economists. if past trends hold, that would

indicate that about a billion and a half more rides will be taken by americans, and that we would see annual ridership of 11.6 billion. some people think the price of gas could reach $6 a gallon. what would happen then? we would surely have crowded trains and buses, and there would probably be some people who would not be able to get on because that would result in 2.7 billion more rides, almost 13 billion rides a year. levels i have not been seen in more than 60 years in this country. so i think this is a sign of things to come. i said it is a double-edged sword, because many of us use diesel fuel in providing our transit services, so it also means higher costs. working with the federal government, state and local

governments to take advantage of the recovering economy and the need for initial investment is why we are here in washington d.c. as bad as this scenario could be, for many americans, they simply have no choice at all. the census bureau tells us that 46% of american households, almost half of all the american household, have no public transportation, nothing, not one us today, not a train once a week. they have no public transportation. so again, we think that if those americans are to have a choice, if they want to do the right thing and take some of their trips by public transit, we need to be expanding the amount of public transit in america. which brings us here to washington. we want to speak with the congress about expanding the travel opportunities for americans. about making sure the communities have the right kind

of bus service, the right kind of rail service, the right kind of public transit service for the size of their communities. but you know, it is a very difficult budget year in washington, and that is what you are going to hear everywhere you go, every office to visit. you know that the congress has yet to be able to finish its work on even the appropriations for the current year, fiscal year 2011. they are already five months late there. you know that in the house represented, with the bill that passed a couple of weeks ago, it would cut funding for public transportation, cut funding for high speed and intercity rail, and this is just at a time when america needs more public transportation. so we don't understand that, and that is why we need to get with our congressional representatives, our senators and congress people, to explain just how important investment in

public transportation is. the congress is very much focused on debt reduction and cutting spending, and we certainly as americans understand the need to deal with the fiscal issues that are federal government has. but we need to help our congressmen understand that investment in public transportation is just that. it is an investment. it will pay back many, many times over. you know the statistics, but i will go over them again. every billion dollars invested in public transportation supports or creates some 36,000 jobs. we get about $4 back for every $1 that we invest in public transportation. we know that as america grows, we are expecting 100 million more americans -- that as our economy grows, our population grows, we need to accommodate

the need for travel. it is not just annual appropriations bill that we need congress to finish, but we need a well funded, six-year multimodal surface transportation bill. that is what we need to do our jobs. [applause] president obama is showing the way. if you had a chance to hear his speech on the state of the union, you heard things that we in transportation, whether public transportation or roads are railroads, have been waiting for any president to say for a long time. that is to make the case for investment in infrastructure. infrastructure is one of those hard words to say and think about, and sometimes hard to get your head around it, but it is the transit systems, the roads, the railroads, the air system. all those things are part of transportation infrastructure. that is what allows our economy

to function. it allows efficiency to occur. as the president said, we need to win the future, and having good infrastructure to build upon -- in football, it is like that basic blocking and tackling that is so important. in baseball it is the fundamental fielding and hitting that supports the rest of the game. that is what we need to work on. i am sure that the secretary was going to tell us about the administration's proposal, and i don't want to steal his thunder, but that president's budget is amazing for public transportation, and we need to get behind and support it. it literally could be a game changer for tens of millions of americans. when tens of millions of americans are better off, america is better off, so it is a great thing. we will look forward to hearing more about that.

obviously, the president's proposal is just the beginning. certainly the congress will want to consider and review it. if they want to improve upon it, will work with the congress to improve upon it, but it is a great starting point, and we are grateful to the president and the administration for their good work. congress is very busy right now, and i have already told you about some of their issues. with many new members of congress, not all of them really understand or know very much about public transportation. that is where you come in. that is why we have asked you to leave the comfort of your homes and come to washington d.c., to meet with your congress people, your centers, to meet with their staff to help them understand just what it is among their constituents that would be missing if there were not good public transportation. and what war could you do if there was initial investment,

what more could you do for their constituents? that is why we are in this business, to help america and americans. so i want to ask you, don't be shy. get up on the hill. todd your congressional representatives and help them understand what it means. while we have a great line of speakers here, i always give you a pass if you need to go up on the hill to meet with your congressional people. none of our speakers will mind if you are not in the audience if you are up on the hill doing the right thing, so please do that. as always, if you need help making appointments or finding where your congressman is now located, because there is a lot of changes in offices, as always, the staff is available to help you. godard latest brochures and reports, up on the next level of

this report you will find a legislative action center where you can pick up that information. i hope many of you got an e-mail from us last friday where we ask you to fill out before you left home the data about your system. how many people are using your system? how important is federal aid to your system? when you stop and think about the formula money and the special discretionary money and other parts of the federal program, some get operating system -- assistance. when you add it all together, in some systems the federal aid is worth up to 60% of the total revenue of the system. i am not sure that every congressman understands that if they chose to eliminate or cut severely public transit aid, many transit systems would be unable to serve their constituents. so don't be shy about telling them the stories. as always, we are producing

reports that we hope will be useful to you. we have a couple of new ones we are releasing in addition to the gas report. one is a report on the case for business investment in public transportation. why should the private sector care about public transportation? why should they make investments here? in the report we are releasing today, the case for business investment in high speed and intercity rail. there has been a lot of controversy about high speed and intercity rail. certain governors have gotten a lot of mileage and publicity out of the issue, but there may have been three governors that did not accept the money, but more than 30 governors in 30 states are working every day it with that federal aid. go ahead and applaud. to make america and their states a better place. you may run a small bus system and you may say what does

intercity rail have to do with me? well, you cannot have a good intercity passenger system unless you can get to that system and from that system when you get to your destination. that is that direct tie between local public transportation and intercity rail. so don't be shy. tell your representatives what it means in their community. if you don't do it, i don't know who will. last year we ask you to tell your story. this year, we are taking that up a notch and telling you to sell your story. you do the right thing for america. you enable people to get to work. he enable people to get to an education. you enable people to get to health care and to do all the other things that they need to do in their day to make their life and their families a success. he should not be shy about telling that story. it is great news indeed.

so go up to the hill and tell them your story. thank them for the aid they gave you in the past and tell them what you did with the money they appropriated last time. above all, tell congress what a well funded, six-year, multi modal service transportation bill, and we need it now. [applause] so welcome to washington, and let's get on with the program. now it is my great pleasure to introduce to you mike scanlan. in his spare time when he is not doing apta stuff, he runs the san mateo transportation system out in california.

ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming mike scanlan. [applause] >> good morning, and thank you. welcome, everybody to washington, and more importantly, thank you all for coming. it is very, very important that you are all here, and we will talk about that more in just a minute. bill, thank you so much for your inspiring words and for your energy. i was thinking this morning of bill when i was in the shower. that did not come out quite like i meant it. it came out exactly like i meant it. this is the last time that bill will kick off the legislative conference, because as all of you know, he will be retiring at the end of october. i think we all ought to give him a standing ovation for what he does and for what he has been

doing. [applause] i have appointed a task force to find his successor, and they were talking that attributes. there is a lot of material in there for a lot of great jokes, but i will not go into it right now. jacobs know from out in nevada talks about having builds ancestors somehow linked with the energy bunny or something to that effect. bill, you have done a great job, and we are all grateful. i just want to straighten out the record for any of my board members or staff who are here. steve was little excited, he thought we had been traded and i was going back to pittsburg and he was going to san mateo.

since the pact -- send the packers with the steelers, my football part remains very much with them. i did tell him that it is byrd could not win, i was glad to see a great traditional team like green bay golan and prevail in the world championship football. this is a year like no other. i know every year you come and we typically say it is really critical that you be here this year, but this year we really mean it. this year is really important. what you have on the table, right out of dickens, the best of times and the worst of times. the administration has proposed better than doubling of the infrastructure transportation investment program, and on the

other side it approaches having the program. it really is the swing between those two extremes. it is absolutely critical. you can say they are very great difficulties are great opportunities. the real difference is not in the issue themselves, it is in ourselves and how we view it. i of the governor this morning was particularly effective as saying there are a lot of new members in congress, and they don't know as yet. while they may have some opinion, they may have no opinion or no knowledge yet, so we need to see this as an opportunity to go make it happen. that is the charge we are all going to have this year as we go forward. it is not only an opportunity, it is our duty and responsibility, not just to the customers we have today, but the future of our nation.

what we do in terms of transportation policy now will shake this nation for many years. this is a very heavy responsibility and we need to take very seriously. federal investment may be as close to magic wands that exists today. if you really want to do something to get this economy back on its feet, we are locked and loaded and ready to create jobs, lots of meaningful jobs. what better anecdote could we have for this country at this time. it will enable us to greatly enhance our responsibilities to take better care of this planet and this environment and start addressing in a more meaningful way global warming. it offers us the opportunity to dramatically reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

given the turmoil and uncertainty in the middle east right now, all i can say is will we finally get it this time? we have had lots of opportunities over the years, and we seem to get all concerned when things happen, and then we go back to life as normal. i hope we get it this time. we are living in an unsustainable way and we have to change fundamentally what we do. so when you go to the hill, as you will be charged by every speaker to do, remind the members of congress that public transit already saves this nation $4.20 billion -- 4.2 billion gallons of gas every year. we could do much more. households mere public transportation ride an average of 40 four hundred fewer miles -- drive an average of 40 four hundred fewer miles.

they utilize 223 pure gallons of gasoline a year. where were charged last year to tell our story, and i am just saying let's and bid up and sell our stories. it up. i tu we have to continue to tell that story. when you go to the hill and meet with the members of congress, with the staff and members of congress, make sure that you focus this story -- we have all the materials you could ever want. don't make it more complicated than it is. it is really all about telling that member how investment in public transit, or a lack of investment and accountability

for investing in public transit will affect their constituents and the quality of life in their district and the quality of life and the competitiveness of this nation in the world economy. there are big consequences to the public policy that we develop right now, and going forward. it is not difficult to get the information. bill reference to the handouts there were sent out last week with a few basic questions about how does this affect you? the people on the floor above us are available if you have any questions on that before you go up there. when you go into a meeting, you know that information. your job is to embark that information in a straightforward manner. just look them in the eye and tell them the story and relate it to help on the ground, how it affects people and how it will affect people for the good or for the not so good. and give specific examples of who those people are.

i cannot tell you how thrilled i am that you have engaged tommy thompson. he is an incredibly inspirational speaker, and what a guy to help carry our message to many people who may think they are against us, or may think this industry is some kind of big government social program. it is not. it is a fundamental part of the economy and critical to this country. i think tommy will do a great job talking about it. the business members, i think some of the more conservative members of congress will have a natural inclination to give more credibility to your story, because they see that private- sector, and you tell them how many jobs are created or how many jobs could be lost. it is the accountability and the consequences. the rewards if you do it and the consequences if you don't. make sure they understand the impact of their decisions.

our staff has told us that many people have gotten -- they talked about a real on the ground experience is up there. there are people that don't have a preconceived idea. they may have thought they did, but now they are in a responsible position and it changes a little bit. all of you know that my real focus this year is what i call inclusion. that means getting everybody into our tents. most of our stakeholders, many of them don't even have a clue yet that they are stakeholders. they need to understand this whole story, the economic and social impact and how it rolls down, so that they are and they do have a stake in it. i am thrilled that we are going to partner today -- there were six slides that just listed some of the partnerships that we

have, and there are many, many more. tomorrow i will be up there on the hill with all of you and i will be joined with the national league of cities. going into see members and staff on some key committees, and seeing how people come together and how public transportation can be such 8 niter -- a uniter. it is no secret that got a few members of congress may have been elected, with a singular focus of let's just cut the budget. they swore an oath, and they will have to be accountable for more than that very narrow focus of just let's cut the budget. you have to make strategic investments to make sure that this nation runs well and that the people of this nation enjoy the quality of life that i think our fathers and all of us and

everybody really wants people to have. so because they were not elected knowing about us does not mean for a minute that they cannot be persuaded, if we are good, and if we take that message and sell that story to them, and sell it in a way that they can understand. i think perhaps more than anything, what our nation needs right now -- you can turn on the television any day or read the papers and everybody has opinions, and i am going to show my generational gap here create there is an entertainer by the name of patti labelle. she popularize a song called " new attitude." in my opinion, what our country needs more than anything else is a new attitude. we just keep wanting to blame other people for everything.

we want to live in the past and say if so and so did this or that, that is not going to get us where we need to go. we need to forge ahead and make enlightened policies, learn from our past, and move forward. a change in attitude begins with each of us. if you want to change the world, you have to start with yourself. i think we all have to do that. when we go up on the hill, please, let's not challenge people personally, and let certainly not challenge anyone's patriotism. this is a country where difference of opinion was once great. it was celebrated, that you could have an honest difference of opinion. as shakespeare said, fight mightily in the courts and go and eat and drink as friends. we need to get back to that level of civility in our country, in our congress, in our

regions, in relationships with each other. our war on drugs fail, our war on terrorism belt, let's not have a war in the middle class. let's talk about how we change policy. let's be smart, but let's be positive about it. let's see the opportunities going forward. there were generations before us that would look at what we are going through now as o'clock in the part, and they made it through those times. -- as a walk in the park. we's set the bar as high as can possibly set it for a civil discourse, and try to go up on the hill and back in the district. if we are going to win the hearts and minds of the congressional people first, and going forward, the majority of people in this nation, don't do it by being disrespectful.

do it by the power of your story, and do it in an agreeable way, so that even if you end up disagreeing, you don't have to be disagreeable. when you are up on the hill, make sure that you stop by the public transportation showcase. it is in the foyer. when you go up there, go over to their raborn foyer and there is a pretty impressive displays and a video wall, the testimony is of people who rely on us. aboutnot figure it is all charts and graphs and numbers and who is going to win an argument. it is about the men and women

who rely on us for service, the men and women who get up each day and do this very honorable work for this nation. so please stop by and do that. in concluding, just do it. this is not complicated stuff. look them in the eye and tell them what it means. so good luck, and give them hell on the hill, in a nice way. [applause] next, it is my real pleasure -- program shows that secretary ray lahood was going to be here, but there has been some switching in the program and i believe the secretary will be here tomorrow. we have the deputy secretary with us today, john kerry. he is really one of the key architects in his latest budget proposal and in this

authorization proposal that you see before us. he will not disappoint, i can assure you. john has served as the deputy secretary since 2009, but more importantly for all of you to understand where he comes from, some of you may not have had the opportunity to meet him, but he is one of us. he sat where you sat for many years. he is a two-time secretary of transportation for the state of maryland. he is a guide that really understood that word secretary of transportation. he understood the importance of highways and transit and aviation and all the other things that come together to make transportation, full mobility, the fifth freedom that i believe it really is.

it might cruised to present the deputy secretary of the united states department of transportation. thank you. [applause] >> thanks, mike. if mike can i get you energized and motivated, nobody can. through thick and then, bill has really brought apta to where it is today, which is connecting people and jobs from day to day. it is great to see so many friends and familiar faces here. secretary ray lahood sends his apologies for not being able to join us. when the white house ask you to do something at the last moment, you do that, so he is out of state today. he will begin tomorrow, so he sends his apologies, but i am proud to be here on his behalf

today. we are proud to count of u.s. our partners. you have been a leading voice in the discussion about public transportation. your efforts in advocacy continue to shape the way we approach travel as a nation. as you gather here for this conference, america is at a crucial crossroads for our transportation network. we all know the history. for decades we have seen chronic underfunding of the maintenance and construction of roads, rails, subway, bus, and other transportation systems. now for the first time in decades, we have an administration that has made transportation of priority, and proven that commitment, not just with words, but with actions. you have all heard president obama talk about winning the future. he says that in order to do that, we need to out in a vague, out educate, and out build the rest of the world, and we cannot do these things without a world-

class transportation network. it is as simple as that. that is why did 2012 budget proposal invest $129 billion as part of an overall six-year reauthorization project. what does that mean for transit? we are talking about a 127% increase in funding. [applause] that unprecedented increase is geared toward making transit more affordable, more accessible, and more sustainable. that is $119 billion toward transit maine is in construction over the next six years. the proposal allows cities with significant unemployment to use their federal transit grants to help fund operating costs temporarily, up to 25% in the first year, 50% in the second

year, and 10% in the third year. let's face it, there is no point in buy new buses when you are laying off bus drivers. there is no point expanding the rail line to new communities if the transit agency does not have the funds to operate the new service. our goal first and foremost is to ensure that transit services are not reduced. we can do that while still looking to and planning for the future. while offering this kind of flexibility has been talked about for years, this is the first time in history that an administration has been willing to address the issue head-on. another innovative step in our 2012 budget is the national infrastructure bank. you know from experience the best way to make the most of federal investment is by comparing it with private investment. that is what the national infrastructure bank is all about. it encourages public-private partnerships and helps finance projects of -- projects that are

hard to fund and build any other way. we are investing $32 billion in competitive grants that will reward cities that focus on performance based an outcome driven policies and investments in transportation. think of it as a race to the top for transportation. to make sure that we keep creating jobs as our economy continues to rebound, the president transportation plan index a boost into our economy to keep the recovery going in the near-term and to like the second stage of that rocket. another important way we are creating jobs is through the buy america initiative. we are very serious about by america. we are requiring projects to be built not just with american workers but with equipment, parts, and supplies made right here in america, too. yes, these are some large investments. [applause]

in addition to daily connecting people in jobs, buy american ensures that those hard-earned tax jobs stay here employing americans. these are historic investments in transportation, but we are also tightening our belts. across government we are reducing waste and eliminating duplicative programs. we are working hard to get the most out of every dollar. if anyone questions the cost of investing in our nation's transportation networks, i would ask them to think about the cost of inaction. by 2050, the population of the united states will grow by another 100 million people. to put this in perspective, it is the equivalent of adding

another texas, california, new york, and florida. think about our transportation network today. think about adding 100 million people, adding those four states to it. then you start to understand the urgency that the obama administration feels about public transportation and the transportation system in general. if we don't take action, we will ensure tomorrows travelers an entrepreneur or literally trapped in the slow lane, facing a paralyzing network of aging roads, congestion, and pollution. if you think it is bad now, things will be a lot worse unless we do more. a major part of our investment goes towards building a state of the art high-speed rail line. the administration has called for an $8 billion investment in 2012 and at $53 billion investment over the next six years. high speed rail has the potential to connect americans

in unprecedented ways, expand access to jobs, and revitalized regions that have faced economic declines for decades. high-speed rail is important, but just one part of our transportation system. it is just one weapon in our arsenal. it is critical for moving passengers, but they need reliable any vision networks to move within the city limits. you are that network. our members are on the ground planning, building, and repairing our nation's vital arteries. we make it affordable for people to reach the places they work, learn, and shop. we think that is incredibly important. that is why we have teamed up with our friends at the internal protection agency and the board of housing and urban development. i can tell you about the theory behind livable communities, but

i think is best illustrated by example. a few years ago, the computer and consulting giant ibm was searching for a place to locate a new campus. they visited dubuque i will, a town of 65,000, and they were quickly taken with the companies -- the plan to refurbish the old downtown by bringing in retail and apartments and condos. ibm immediately recognized this is the kind of internment today's young talented professionals are looking for. they can get to work, find something to eat, and have a good time without getting behind the wheel. dot provided funding, and are modest investment helped give an old river town and the beginning. that is livability. when we may planning grants available for the tiger program, the response was overwhelming. we could not find all the worthy

projects or were able to help dozens of initiatives get off the ground. that is the kind of work that makes us proud. it makes transportation policy up about more than iron track and rubber wheels. it is about building a prosperous communities. going forward, we will continue to do our part. we know arm his 21st century economy demands a multi-modal approach. we can set transit back on the right track. transportation always has been and will be the thread that binds us together, bringing families together, moving goods to market, and helping our economy drives. ladies and gentlemen, think about transportation this way -- if you look around the country and you look at it objectively, but the transportation facilities and equipment. we are living off the investments that our parents and

grandparents and in some cases our great-grandparents made. ask yourself, are we doing right by the next generation? are we doing right by the 100 million additional americans here in 40 years? i think we understand the answer is no. that is why we are all committed to rebuilding and enhancing our transportation network. we know that we are literally building the foundation for future prosperity in america if we do it right. and there is no better illustration of it than if you pick up a copy of our fiscal year 2012 budget in brief. is the hoover dam -- it was built during the depression. think about the optimism it took to build that in the works -- in the middle of the worst economic crisis in the nation's history. what is in front of it is a

bridge that just opened this year. it was built during the worst economic crisis since the great depression. think about what the hoover dam and the hoover dam bypass british means in terms of america. is about reinvesting, doing right by the next generation, it is about making explicit the link between transportation, economic development, and the future prosperity of our country. working together we are going to win the future. thank you very much. >> good afternoon, everybody. if someone could close the doors in the back so that the roar coming from the lobby will be at a minimum, i would appreciate that. good afternoon.

welcome to our federal agency update. i am the chair of a legislative committee of apta and managing director of the transportation district in illinois, home of the democrat from indiana. right now. we are happy to host them and we're pleased to receive their hotel and motel taxes. being from illinois, we have all of these people coming from indiana. we used to have the wisconsin folks. our legislature needs all the help that it can get but i am not sure that we won it from those guys at this point. we hope that they get their problems taken care of. before we start the afternoon session, i like to introduce our sponsor representative, larry murphy, the surface transportation market leader at wilbur smith. [applause]

>> good afternoon and i thank you, everyone. we are a global engineering firm and to work across the country. i am based out of the york. one of the exciting things is that we just joined forces with wilbur smith associates, and bring in expand the capacity of 6000 people to the transportation industry. i was talking to my colleagues and we were commenting on what an exciting time it is to be in the transportation industry. you see some of these great speakers to force. cdm is honored to be a part of this. thank you very much. >> we have a great panel today. we will start out with the fda administrator, the deputy administrator from the federal railroad and administration, and

the chief of staff from vsa -- tsa. if time permits, we will have questions at the end. a lot like to introduce an administrator -- i would like to introduce administrator robot. bill made up faux pas on sunday and referred to him as peter rowe gadhaf. [laughter] i was helping to peter beforehand. he has been administrator of the f t h, but he told me that he is recently consolidating his power and just become czar of the fta,

from the longstanding family in russia. [laughter] it is amazing what you learn when you talk to these guys. please give a warm welcome to the administrator. >> thank you, bill. it is good to be with you. my wife is wondering where all the gold is which comes with being azar. i had at opportunity to sit and some of the committee meetings. bill, let me congratulate you on getting into the big tournament. that is more excitement for you i am sure. i am now approaching tw of

months away from being the administrator for the last two years. over that time, secretary lahood and i and debt is secretary porcari -- deputy secretary porcari have seen the great service that you turn out every day and had the opportunity to speak at several apta annual conferences, rail conferences, bus conferences, and regional conferences. but in my view, i think is probably the most important conference of the mall. mike scanlon talked about at this morning, my observation that this is a year like no other when it comes to the intensity and important of the debate over investment in transportation broadly and in public transportation in particular. we are about the business of working with the congress that

will make very difficult decisions that will in effect seal are made when it comes to investments in public transportation six years. this takes a truly never been higher. i can tell you, i came to washington, d.c. and started working in public policy in 1983, about 28 years ago. i of worked in and around budget battles for 28 years, three separate comprehensive transportation reauthorization bills, and i can never remember a time when there has been such conflicting and divergent views on which way we need to take the nation and which way we need to take the federal budget. this even includes the second reagan administration, a time when the cia was not even considered, -- fta was not even

considered. but the outcome was more certain back then. we as an extraordinarily divergent and conflicting views. one is the view of president obama, that you that you heard in the state of the union -- never in the modern era has the president spent some much time in his state of the union message talking about transportation, talking about the promise that transportation investment brings us for the future, the essential need to invest in transportation to win our future. and when he talked about that, he is talking about investing not just in transportation broadly, but specifically in our enterprise. high-speed rail, daily bus, daily transit services, that our public transportation and inherently are dependent on public support. let's be clear -- the president

is proposed to sharply restrained spending in his budget. he has included a five-year non- security freeze that will save more than $400 billion over two years. this is a tight budget. it is a budget in which the president has made many difficult decisions and as has been pointed out, he had to reduce funding for programs he cares deeply about. at the same time, within that very same budget, within that funding freeze, what has he said it is the need in our enterprise? in this very same budget he is proposing to more than double our budget in a single year. [applause] you can applaud for that. he is calling for a comprehensive six-year reauthorization bill that will set us on a path for growth,

119% overall levels of funding before. %, andtalking about 126 the 2011 budget is still under debate in the congress, but under his ledgers will grow to $22.4 billion in 2012. we have really been that they did like all the other important service mode in transportation which the president outlined in a labor day speech, $60 billion in up-front investment to keep us moving forward on infrastructure investment. secretary lahood has been very articulate when he says that we have benefited from the president. as many of you know our budget surged 80% under the recovery

at. we created thousands upon thousands of jobs. this is been one of the areas where there has been very little debate, democrat or republican, as to the merit of these investments, the fact that they created jobs or that they created jobs now on projects that will benefit citizens for generations to come. that was your work with our help. you are to be congratulated on having done it right, putting those dollars to work properly. we have allocated every dollar and greeted jobs all over the country and we still see that benefits rolling off of the construction sites every day. for 2012, the president wants to keep the bus moving forward. he put in $50 billion of upfront investment across the transportation budget. fta than it did -- benefited from $11.6 billion. for the coming year, he proposed an increase assistance to all

the transit agency's, and it would increase some 43% in a single year. our new start program would grow by 7% in a single year. those projects hold great promise of delivering huge transportation benefits to communications across the country, but we need to deploy them more quickly and get the benefits to the public more quickly. that is why we have put more money into more projects, especially at that time when we have to worry about gas prices creeping up to $4 a gallon again. recep what it did to writer sharon back then. -- we see what it did to ridership back then. joyce has never been more starkly apparent to us. you've seen me talk about the state of the repair of our system. we proposed as part of the

comprehensive plan and new state of could repair program. it would be assistant to all transit providers, bus and rail. when you compare the funding level but the president has put behind this initiative compared to the programs it replaces, the president with more than triple this investment in a single year. it is an extraordinary statement and an extraordinary commitment to making sure that we do not lose a handle when it comes to the condition of our transit system. we all know what systems not adequately maintain mean for the public. it takes away the reliability that the service -- for the service you turn out every day. if it is not inconvenient -- reliability is not an inconvenience, it is an absolute necessity. it is picking up.

children from child care or not. for someone struggling to get and keep a job, it is the ability to get to a job on time and not. no employer is not an inch -- no employer is interested in an employee who cannot get to work on time. getting home in time to have dinner as a family or not -- these are core quality of life issues that apply to all the passengers that you serve every day. when it comes to our budget for 22 up, we are determined to improve the quality of life through increased investment. that is one way the future should go. another you hear from all corners of the country the most important imperative is that we cut everything. because everything without regard to its impact on the

public, we kept things without regard to impact on america's future. the president put forward a budget that says money. it is a very serious budget. but within that context, he saw way of investing in the future through us. the question i'm here to ask, is to a standing behind us? this year more than ever, we need the visitors here who come to washington as part of the apta conference to go forward, go and speak to their members of congress and talk about what the impact will be on getting as six-year reauthorization bill adequately funded, to get the increases called for or not. i want to add to something said earlier. there are a lot of fine speakers here. none of them are worth hearing

then you using this time to go to the hill and talk about your daily circumstances to your member of congress. i want to get some thoughts about how one might best approach a member of congress. it is really about trying to get people to look past the feeling that some of them have that yet they are not a legislative expert, they are not the right person to deliver the message. if they do not know the difference between the reconciliation bill and an appropriations bill and a budget resolution, then this is not something that is important and, or that they are there really wrought -- they are really the right spokesperson for. no one can speak better about the circumstances, the daily challenges, the expenses, and the benefits you provide than you do. he used to that trend -- you see the transit passengers every

day, you know your ability to turn out service every day -- you do not have to give a convoluted message with all kinds of legislative jargon. you need to speak truth to congress and say, this is how federal funding impacts my ability to do my job and serve your people, and this is what the absence of federal funding does to my ability to do my job and serve your people. importantly in quickly, we have an historic number of new members of congress right now. there has been a lot of talk about how you reach out to the new members. i want to suggest to you is that we haven't outreach talent that goes well beyond the new members of congress -- we have a out reached talent that goes well beyond the new members of congress. the reality is and i founded in the visits that they paid in congress, but there remains a very deep-seated misunderstanding as to what role the federal dollar has in your

daily enterprise. perhaps it because our governing boards are made up largely of local officials. or that it largely cents money not from state governments but also directly to transit agencies at the local level. if you polled members of congress, they would believe the vast majority of dollars to make daily transit service available all local dollars. that is true in certain systems. ironically it is true in our largest systems. it may be because -- excuse me -- are antecedent agency was called the urban mass transit agency that people think this is about driving money to our largest urban sense storms. are they important? yes. do we send a great deal of money to them? yes. they have extraordinary numbers of riders and we should make no

apologies for that. but when you look at smaller cities, in suburban communities, and especially rural communities, fta dollars are the most critical dollars. we are upwards of 80% of the enterprise. if you take transit funding backwards, the urban systems will have a challenge to work with and they will deal with it. if you take it backwards in a big way, some of those smaller systems will disappear. that is a financial reality. a lot that is lost on a great many members. i do not believe we can spend enough time reminding them that this is the 10th hole of the system. we leverage all lot of money, be it state or local, and with the difference between having a

capital program that keeps people employed on bus assembly lines, that provide quality service, or not. i will encourage you to not worry about legislative jargon or this numbered bill or that number bill. you need to explain to each of your members of congress just how the federal dollar did send, making the connection between the votes they cast, the federal dollars they provide, and each of their constituents. let me remind you that while this is an important opportunity what you are here in washington, even better opportunities exist in your district. members compared to congresses of 20 or 30 years ago spend more time home in their district than they did back then. there are opportunities to reach out to them in an environment that they know, and in an environment in which they are comfortable and they are not

necessarily running between floor votes and have more than five minutes to talk to you about it. it's an opportunity to see firsthand between the service you provide and the vibrancy of their community. let me encourage you to reach out to them at -- there as well. it is about all members. all i would ask you to do is to be consistent and be persistent. there is no reason why any member of congress should not have the time to meet and discuss what public transportation means in their district. and there is no reason why any member of apta should not be taking the time. apta is only as strong as its members. and the members have an important message to deliver. i obviously believe that the president has made an outstanding statement on the importance of public transportation going forward. but you bring forward your message, what makes the most

sense to you. we have met a great start this year with the leadership the president has put together, but we will only be as strong as your collective voice. i hope there will be time for questions later. [applause] >> next up is deputy administrator karen re of the fra. what can i say about caring rae -- karen rae? [laughter] oh, ok, here it is. karen has a lead a nomadic life. [laughter] she has been deputy

commissioner of policy and planning at the new york state d.o.t. and the pennsylvanian d.o.t. and director of the virginia department of rail and public transportation, and she did that in six months. [laughter] i am particularly happy to welcome karen here today, because she is planning to announce the funding of the 220 high-speed rail system between chicago and st. louis going through champagne-urbana. welcome, karen. >> i think i left that check in the office, bill. i have to look back and, two years ago today, i was here at the apta conference and receive

one of the most amazing phone calls in my life, secretary lahood asking me if i would join president obama and his team. none that you knew that because it was going through the process. it was a lot of fun being back here today with colleagues and friends. the best news is that i continue to see you, some more i would like like mr. scanlon, but i've still get to see you on a regular basis. and that is a great part of my job. it is an honor to work not just with of vice-president and a secretary of transportation, but my boss since his apologies. he is at home with his dad. he is doing very well but we miss him and he was looking forward to being here and promising new are continuing commitment to being part of the apta message and connecting with you on our initiatives of of the

very important focus we have on public transportation. we really see high-speed and intercity rail as another form of transportation. it is very easy to build on the messages we heard earlier. the clear message that came out in the state did the union, we think that the president talks about all kinds of infrastructure. he talked about out-educating, out-innovating, and out- building. i know that all of you were as excited as we were about the focus on out-building. i have listened to many of those over decades, and we did do the happy high-speed rail dance, because to have that call out as well as all infrastructure was a very important moment too rigid for people who of work for 30 years to bring the program about. a commitment to passenger rail starts at the top. it is one that began in congress

even before mr. obama was elected to be president. the passenger investment -- passenger rail investment act was passed before mr. obama became president. no one envisioned we could take a program that has solid grounding and move it aggressing leap forward -- aggressively forward as fast as we did. the president has set out a vision that we will connect 80% of americans through our high spade and intercity rail network over the next 25 years. -- high-speed and intercity rail networks over the next 25 years. i think we know the message from the president, he wanted to say tenures, but we told him about the time it took to implement the interstate system. but the aggressiveness of this cannot be understated.

and we have this mild mannered person named joe biden who only feels a little bit about the importance of high-speed rail. the announcement he made where he stated, we cannot compromise. the rest of the world is not compromising. if we are going to be part of the future and position america for the future, we must be sure that part of that picture is high-speed and intercity rail in this country. why are they so in fact? why is secretary lahood constantly talking about the importance of this and the public transportation agenda? we're going have 100 million more people living in america. we are not prepared to provide them even a basic level of ability if we stayed up flat course it originally projected for all of us.

we need the investments that are offered in the president's budget and foreshadow the reauthorization, and as the czar pointed out, without you they're making it real to the legislators and the communities, it cannot happen. two years into a major transformation, i talked about something this late friday, which is our movement to get more money into the system. the macy strong connections back to the community. how are we doing? it is important that we not lose sight that although three states have chosen not to go forward with high spade -- high-speed and inner-city rail programs, 33

states are going forward and more have come to our table in the last week and said, and we want to go forward. it is those communities, those states, and those elected officials to expect will be responding in large part to a recent notice of available funding. bill also obligated in what might say is almost $5 billion of $8 billion we were given in the recovery act. we were actually given in fra until september 2012 to allocate the money given to us, recognizing the new nature of this program. we will have the entire amount obligated at least one year in advance of the time we were given in the congress, and we are very proud of the hard work that the states and many operators in this room and the staff at all levels have put in to make this amazing obligation

happen today. [applause] one other detail. you may have heard that we're having some challenges with our freight rail partners. i am here to tell you that we have had some major successes in the last several months. in fact, five of the six corridors' we have defined as part of the high-speed rail and inner-city initiative currently have agreements with the freight rail operators that will not only help improve passenger rail, but help build capacity for the whole rail system. i want to applaud canadian pacific, union pacific, and others for being the lead of those discussions. they have been tough negotiations but have led to strong agreements to upgrade rail in this country for the next 20 years and beyond. [applause]

i do want to see it is wonderful to be working with an administration that can be very decisive. unfortunately, -- for many people who aren't part, i want to tell you i am simply amazed by the grass-roots passion that went into trying to save the florida program. even the city of the army -- miami, not in the first leg, they jumped in. unfortunately was not the time for the government. we of $24 billion that we want to get to work. friday afternoon, secretary lahood announced that we were putting out a notice for funding availability so that many of those $67 billion of projects with the original requests can

come back and and we can move, all but one of them -- bill, just kidding. we can look it all of these products. our biggest focus will be good, solid projects ready to move. the same criteria across all of our programs. those applications are due in on april 4. a very short turnaround but we're confident that the states that are the primary folks working on this will be able to deliver those to us and focus on good projects that are very important. the other big news we have is that when the president announced the 2012 budget, which says a sign of things to come from our administration, one of the things we heard is that high-speed rail had been just one bit of money and what was going to be a program that would

really sustain both the development of the system, the development of the labor force, manufacturing opportunities, a construction market -- it's so our budget actually begins to put that new path down, and it does to a very important things. number one, taking a card from the playbook, we have to get our system maintained and in a state of good repair. there is a significant commitment, $4 billion above the important safety program, to help get a state of good repair back into our system that has had under investment for over 30 years. that includes amtrak, equipment across the system, and we are very focused on how we stabilize that base. at the same time, we are moving

ahead a program of new network development which is focused that more than $4 billion. it will include the corridor development we've begun to see across the country, connecting major areas many areas in between. we've also suggested something many of you may find interesting -- he station development program which we see as the key interface with our transit operators, and the focus on how you actually connecting use that in the system. we've also proposed a u.s. rail equipment development program that has slotted $245 million in 2012 and that will help begin to define a long-term rail manufacturing sector in the united states. of course we have also realized the need to build capacity and technical research and development to go with this new program. it is amazing to think that over

two years ago, none of this existed. and i stand here today and am very proud to say that what we're looking at is achieving high things with our program. a strong focus on developing a truly world-class system, of which we can be proud of part of our system. opportunities for private sectors to be part come up with a transit-oriented development, one of the many focuses that we hope will come out of the station development. we do have to have that. we also have to have an amazing work force. that we want to make sure we secure and move forward, working hand-in-hand with many of the women -- men and women we will look investments in the northeast corridor. that is a natural asset and we need to continue to move that. we're looking to build all stations into compliance, something long causing

challenges for commuter rail as rolla's intercity rail passengers. -- as well as inner-city rail passengers. we will then set up a network to move before. we have three different kinds of services we are looking at. core express services, connecting large urban areas of more than 2 million in population, truly high-speed rail up to 250 m.p.h. dedicated, but the key here is travel time between the city and focusing on two to three hours. a key part of the system, very major piece of what we envision as being how we reach the 80% goal. in the emerging systems, 90 miles are redeemed 90 m.p.h..

we are doing this to connect communities together and regions together. a key component to the success, we are not building 5000 parking space garages at the end of these things. we will connect downtown to downtown, because that is how these systems work best. with that, i look back at how much we have done over the last year, how much we have to go forward, but sometimes in the midst of what we heard described in many speakers as a very challenging time, we have to look for everyone in this room and others to understand -- two- thirds of americans support funding for high-speed rail. many of these people have been all around the world and seeing things from the rest of the world and said, why can we? we believe it is important that we take that challenge on.

we need to continue to educate, something we have been very focused on in our spare time at fra, working with groups like apta to better execute -- educate about what high-speed rail is and is not. the high-speed rail line in france, 25% of passengers are riding on the high-speed rail segment. 75% are riding on the peter lines that connect to that segment. -- the theater -- feeder lines that connect to that segment. just as public transit connects communities and does a phenomenal job at that, high- speed and intercity rail about connecting regions and regional economies. i wanted to close with another quote.

i thought this one was subtle and inappropriate. our real problem then is not our strength today, it is the vital necessity and a action today to ensure our strength tomorrow. -- other action today to ensure our strength to mark. i want to thank general eisenhower for giving our marching orders as we stand today on the process of either making public transportation and high-speed rail an integrated part of our system, or deciding we're not going to fight because is not really that important. because another script, i will stand here with my colleagues and ask you to please join us as we continue to educate about the importance of what we are trying to do under the leadership of president obama. thank you very much. [applause]

>> thank you, karen. i want you to know that i introduced the chief of staff at great personal risk. tsa,ously, the jokes about v and i do have to fly back to california. [laughter] on --later this week. i do not know if you remembered my name. mike scanlon. [laughter] i just wanted to make that clear. art has a background that some of you may find interesting and

profitable. it was once the executive director of the arizona lottery. if you brought your checkbook with you and your system need some extra funds for capital operating, and he might talk to art. well, you might not, because while he was director he had a $2.2 billion profit for the state of arizona. so you take your chances. he had a long career in arizona becoming chief of staff for tsa. i do want to apologize to you come at. -- to you, art. he was subjected to a full body patdown by the staff as soon as he walked into the hotel. i hope you have recovered from that, and you can tell us all about tsa and your views of what

is going on. welcome, art. >> california. good luck with that. [laughter] kenny's see me over the podium? i was tolerable for the patdown, i think. bridget ta -- taller before the patdown, i think. it is the first time for us to come and address the conference and be a part of this. we appreciate that. i came out of city government and state government and the arizona lottery, very proud that we were able to fund public transit. i remember the then-governor napolitano asking me to take

that on after heading another state agency. she said i could do some great things with that and then asked if they would come and join us here -- her here as part of the homeland of homeland security. -- the department of homeland security. i want to thank you for having the minister rhetoric, on the hill this afternoon, but he would much rather be here than there. i think i have the better of the deal. i just wanted to say that i am working on that, administrator. just to get back your title to see if that works. a good minister and our deputy administrator, talking about the importance of your perspective. coming to washington, d.c., trying to connect the importance of those dollars and what it is that we do -- i still

say we -- but what you do on the local level. i think you make it happen. we here in washington are here to help support you. we recognize that you are on the frontline, and i began the day thinking what i can do today to make your lives coming your quality of life, the missions you fill, better. what can we do to help with that effort? it is something that is echoed by a secretary napolitano, very focused on mass transit and passenger rail security. i want to talk about -- we have not been here before so we have not talked about a high-level of our programs and some of the things that we have been able to do in the context of this current budget environment. we are much more than aviation

security. bob, maybe you can take the train home so we will see about that. fred? did i just called you -- yes. we are also focused on a tractor to predict surface transportation security. each day begins with an intelligence briefing. it tells us day in and day out if the threat is real, the risk is real, it drives us to be a risk-based and intelligence- driven agency. we must be won and we strive to be one. that has some great symmetry with administrator pistole's first day on the job. he was sworn in at penn station. his first act was to take a whistle stop tour to -- and

deployed an initiative across the country. to enlist and engage the public in this important effort. they did this was a stop tour. a number of us -- they did this whistle stop tour. and the sec. as well said, i want to study, i want to know and assessment, and what can we do to reinforce what we do in surface transportation security? we know how important it is that people feel safe and secure as they travel to work. as they get their groceries, at meetings, these things that are very real to people across the country. we play a critical role in that. the president himself was briefed on bass transit and passenger rail security last fall by the secretary and the administrator.

he showed a keen interest and a vision for what we want to see on surface transportation security. we are specifically to reduce trash predict terrorist attacks. in meeting that mission, our goal at all times is to maximize transportation protection security in response to the evolving terrorist threats while protecting passengers private see and facilitating the flow of illegal commerce. in the surface arena we continue to work with our partners to reduce vulnerabilities, to strengthen resilience against terrorist attacks. we are using the vital tools and directing that funding to the most at risk properties. our surface security inspectors are assisting with the fellow of specific security programs. large systems to small systems, and we were just in albuquerque working with the rail runner

system there. one of the top systems in the country after we work together in partnership, one of the top three systems for security amongst all systems. good work there. and are visible intermodal response team. r -- and we deploy them in literally thousands of the big news. we join together law enforcement officers, detection officers come up local law enforcement, state law enforcement, to have an unpredictable presence in mass transit. despite all of our efforts and

advances in intelligence and screening processes, the threat to the transportation sector remains high. it is a committed in to me. a committed in the meat that collects intelligence -- a committed enemy that collects intelligence to exploit butter abilities in the system. we need to work hard to stay ahead of the constantly evolving threat. i firmly believe as does the minister added that the best defense against these and other terrorist events remains a risk- based leered security approach that utilizes a range of measures that are both seen and unseen. this approach includes using cranston's fund operational activities as well as crippled -- critical infrastructure projects to supplement the efforts of law enforcement, those largely local and state

efforts that are law enforcement, to provide timely intelligence and increase collaboration as well. another example, we did work with another agency. they looked at information's sharing on how they can share information and have been invited to present in europe and belgium, but for nato countries, this model that developed within the region. this international collaboration is key for us. we work as partners in securing these transportation networks of the united states, closely with you all, to assist them in the finding in meeting their security requirements. a vital tool is that transportation grant program. it provides ways in which we can

improve security practices, working in partnership. femal work closely with th which manages the application process. on how we can develop funding for the most at risk areas. we provided $273.4 million to the transit industry and a total of $1.6 billion has been funded in projects since 2006. similar but smaller grant program recognizing there are very rigid various sizes of transportation agencies, to support freight rail. our surface inspectors engage in all modes, inspecting and railroads, has met for

regulatory compliance, and development plans. in the transit mode, one program includes security to assess the base line of security across a range of areas that are foundational. we're developing action plans to gather with others to assist them in improving the security programs. we play a key role there, and a partner with our one university for canine program. we are enhancing the effectiveness of explosive detection k-9 teams to protect the networks. we want to enhance the stagnation -- detection techniques.

there are a variety of local efforts and we leverage these resources in this environment so that we can be at different places in the country in an unpredictable fashion. i want to talk about the president's budget in which he included in the 2012 budget of proposed $23.5 billion to added $23.5 million to add 12 team deployments. it would be much needed and much helpful. the homeland security advisory system -- you may have heard about that. the secretary announced that the advisory system will be replaced by the national terrorism on alert system. the previous system was threat- based. it used colors to indicate that

threat levels. i will not get into jokes, but the system evolved over time, and much was expected as we move into a 2.0 version of that system. but we expect greater utility that could come from being able to disseminate more specific information about the threat and what to do about it. we can minimize the cost impact as we roll up these systems, and we're working with partners and apta to develop guidelines used by the transit industry and how to modify existing security programs around the same system. we anticipate the new system will be rolled out in early summer time. back to the transit grant program. everyone has been following that. congress has not yet appropriated any funds for the grant program.

they are two versions of the continuing resolution for the rest of the year. the president's request started with $300 million for the transit security grant program. the house version has $100 million. we do not know what the final version will look like, and no decisions made yet on the program. but in your perspective, which you bring to the table on the current health of these programs, it is important. he will have a shorter time line to issue guidance -- we will have a shorter time line to issue guidance. the 9/11 act mandated regulations requiring high risk transportation agencies have a security training program for their employees.

this proposed rule making should be out shortly for the requirement. lookout for that. we will be looking for comments and feedback from all of you. and then we will issue the final rule. as i wrap up, we have good work with our colleagues, and with all of you at a apta, to help improve mass security. this is a partnership model embedded in that plan. through the government coordinating council, we were pretty very closely day in and day out. security is a local responsibility. we're here to help empower our state and local partners through training and exercise programs. we want to engage with you in an active dialogue to help better formal we do here in washington

to make sure that what we're doing here on a day-to-day basis is helping you in your efforts. that is very key. i think that work in this environment, as others have said, we're hearing from you, having you on the hill, conveying and relaying what these dollars and what these programs mean to you and let you do -- there is no more critical time in recent history. i salute you for getting us to work, for moving communities all work, and i think you for this opportunity. [applause] >> thank you. we have all little over 20 minutes for questions. we have two put microphones, one in each of these aisles.

if there are questions, i will start asking peter what do you view the chances of getting an authorization before the end of the fiscal year? >> i think the chances are very good. for the following reasons -- first, despite all the partisan voices that one hears out of washington these days, there is an increasing unanimity of thought that the status quo, just extending and extending, it is not working in terms of the job creation benefits that everyone could make happen. it is not following decision makers to be in a position to really make a multi-year investments because they do not have the surety of the funding

scheme at the federal level. that is as true in highway as a mass transit. while there are difficult discussions that we need to have on which way reauthorization should head, there are other program improvements that are a long time in coming. in transit, we want to streamline our new start decision process. that will require legislation. require legislation. creating more jobs, that may also require legislation. i am hopeful. that is not to say there will be very difficult situations. i am hearing increasing bipartisan commitment to try to get it done this year. >> great.

a question out here. >> great cities have great problems. unfortunately we need money to bring them to a state of great repair. some of these states have returned money back for what they did not want. would it be possible to send some of this money to nations suffering? >> the dollars that have been returned have largely been in the area of the high-speed rail funds. three states have turned down the opportunity to participate in high-speed rail but 33 states have said that not only do we want to be part of this network, we want to do more. i think you will see those dollars go into the high-speed rail divisions of other states.

as far as the dollars that have been returned, i should not say returned, but turned down, as part of the new start program, that money not going to the new jersey project has freed up dollars to the two other projects around the country that will include subways. those dollars are specifically appropriated and need to create new capacity. we are trying to deal with the aging of the subway system and other systems through our repair program which is looking at a 3 injured 5% of funding increase as a result of president obama's budget. i think we are going at it head on. >> thank you. >> regarding high-speed rail, of the 33 states that said they

want to participate, what is the expectation of what their parties -- participation is supposed to be? what are the strategies being developed for operation and maintenance? >> excellent question. i think we are very much are working with our state partners. the whole impetus behind the plan is for states to think these issues through and for the federal government not to mandate. this is what is best for you, this is what best for you, but to credit foundation where state can have those important conversations. every state is being in courage and legislatively pushed to create a real plan. that is the forum where a lot of these conversations occurred. the discussions varied from the state taking all responsibility

for operating and maintenance two other states and taking none of that responsibility and finding a different partner. it is not a cookie cutter. we are looking for consistency but we are looking for each state to look at what the right combination will help advance the -- advance their activity. >> i am with the national association of railroad passengers. i want to comment on the recent incident where a viper team looked at all passengers. is this indicative of anything amtrak passengers can expect more of? >> we are working with a number of travel agencies including amtrak to work with them. they -- there are an unpredictable initiatives at work. we do not have the resources to

be everywhere at all times. i would not expect this as a standard operating procedure in terms of the screening of passengers in that environment. where you see similar screenings, you would not see that as the status quo. you would seek these unpredictable operations that may involve a screening of passengers. i am not familiar with that particular operation we had today but udc -- to see the environment working closely with amtrak and officers and personnel to provide a that visible deterrent, if you will, in this environment. so that people can feel safe and secure as they travel about the country. >> my name is john from the

chicago transit authority. i want to say thank you. we have been using the grant program extensively. they are really good. we appreciate how they come out and work with us. one thing i would like to project out before it gets written down in the fred register, -- federal register, when you have training for employees, the about this. -- think about this. we have found that as an industry, being asked to do more with less, it is very difficult to get people, especially operational people, into the classroom.

it is a different ball game these days. it is hard to get the bodies. we need to run the system. >> greg -- thank you for that. i think we have a good team. i appreciate the shatt -- shout out. absolutely. i take those comments to heart. there is a balance there. we want to ensure the safety of our workers and at the same time train them so they are better able to effected their security mission. we want to recognize what you face. there are limited resources in your environment. we definitely need to be sensitive to the amount of time that those parameters we sat through that rulemaking process so that at the end of the day, something is pragmatic and workable.

where you started with your question highlighting the sensitivities that our team has, that will continue as we go through that process in being responsive to the public. >> i am on the board of transportation in north carolina. it is good to see all of you. i am also on the board in the research triangle area. we are one of the 33 states that said yes to the money. just let us know. we will track down to florida and take it to north carolina. we are happy to do that. it is supported for all of us in the industry to be supportive of the administration. i thought i might take this opportunity to ask all of us to support the obama administration's view on moving

the country forward. stand up if you want to give these folks a round of applause. [applause] >> i like that question. [applause] >> let me say thank you. i will give an anecdote about n.c. that is indicative of what the deputy secretary was talking about this morning. how we will deal with mobility needs. the secretary and i where -- or with governor perdue talking about the blue line extension and other projects. i was astonished. the governor had just announced -- you combine those with the growth factors, they are the seventh largest in the united states. i spend a lot of time in north carolina and i do not and i would have imagined that. they are dealing with this in

charlotte and the tribal figuring out how they're going to handle that growth while maintaining a quality of life, the quality of life a lot of people in joy. they are doing it right. they are doing it smartly. i commend of their work but also what the governor is doing in trying to, growth is coming and they need a plan. >> i want to thank you. i spent the morning with the secretary. i did not get a standing ovation. [laughter] >> when he had that mountain man of beard going. he's a bit. >> i am with the mobility and 21, beat southern california edison project advocacy coalition. my concern is around rail safety. positive train control is at

most important -- utmost importance. i am curious to know your position on the importance of that effort and of what you think we can be doing to improve our chances of being able to implement that by the 2015 mandate. >> at this point, we are including the funding of those technology teams, the development function as part of the $50 million development part of our budget. that is where we found our role at this point. that is where most of our focus has been. we recognize this is a big challenge. i have a couple of meetings to continue to work through how we implement such an important safety initiative. there is a lot of things we are

trying to listen to. we have congress sending a clear mandate. talking about how we design, and since we can pick on like scanlon, trying to find ways we learned from each other across the nation. we are working on trying to do things in california. i think there is a lot to be learned. there is a lot of brainpower. >> let me just add to that two thinks. what, you heard me talk about -- that is proposed in the budget. we are proposing to triple our rail model funding. positive train control is going to be an expense that both of

those programs. while that is not targeted at the mandate, it is an expense with considerable growth under the president 's budget. since you raised the issue of rail safety, part of the comprehensive bill is a proposal that the brake -- brailled francis 80 bill which is an opportunity to put more money into our state with a minimum common-sense safety guidelines that the fda is currently prohibited from putting forward. for ahoping reauthorization of that bill. >> questions? >> i am from the capital city system in columbus, ohio. we have had some sex -- successes up in the lorraine

with the commuter rail project. your remarks about station planning mean that our best days could be ahead of us because not only can you collaborate with these transportation projects, but you could pull in a new set of allies, the architectural community, the urban land use folks, and real-estate developers. are you guys serious about getting with hud and the private sector in terms of working on this station planning? >> yes, we are -- this effort is being led by our secretary for policy. this is one of his personal passions about insuring this interactivity.

to make sure they are dealt with in an up front way. this is why we put this in our program so that everything we have been discussing, there is a joint team working on some additional work -- both of our teams are working on information. you should expect to see more from us in the near future. we want to talk with the developers. we want to talk with pepsico. we need to understand what it is going to take the -- bring the pieces together. too often it is thought of, oh, this is a pretty building. all of the elements that make it a successful building are left out. >> the grass roots is ready for that. >> let me add a couple of things.

we also have a new flexible livability -- livability grant program for projects like this. right now the initiative has been constrained because we have -- the funding was not available. under l.a. reauthorization proposal, we would be able to put that out. one of the things we want to but that is we all recognize the development potential and i would like to see how the transit agencies can capture part of that appreciated value. i speak to what did we may be limited in our regulatory regime where we'll nisei, you may only control right of way for the rail line.

anything that happens on either side of it has nothing to do with the transit agency when indeed it is the investment that is making that value. some of the communities have tax increments that allow them to capture that for public purposes and finance some of these projects. not all states are allowed to have tips. i want to make sure the rules are not standing in the ways -- way of opportunity. >> one more question. >> we are a small liberal area. with regard to the transportation department, tsa requirements, small urban -- rural operators, will be able to have access to these places.

if there are going to be requirements that smaller operators are going to be required to participate in, i would be interested in seeing funding made available to us to make these programs happen. thank you. >> thank you for that. you raise a key issue there in terms of how is it possible we administer these programs. there is a risk there. there is risk in the community. how are we addressing that? we have a smaller programs. there is opportunity to address the risk that is there. the reality of the current program goes to more of the critical infrastructure that -- at a national level that is deemed to have the highest risk.

what opportunities are there to work within that range? we look at those other grant programs to see where we can help address the risks. it is something that we will be interested in your thoughts on that. >> with that, i want to thank the sponsors of this program. we remind you another session will start at 3:30. i would like you to give our participants a round of applause. [applause] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] >> if you could take your seats we would like to get the program started.

when we began the day to get there, i promise you a good speakers and great information throughout the day. i hope you will agree that is exactly what we have provided. [applause] thank you. i will make you one more promise. that is about to continue. we have a great lineup of speakers for this closing session which we have the title, "capitol hill kickoff." we want to use this as a bit of a synthesizing, figuring out how we go forward and take our message up on the hill. to do that, we have a two distinguished members of congress, the kind of people who

sit across the table. they have heard it all. we are hoping they give us a few secrets as to how we can deliver our message in a way that is helpful to them because they are bold leaders who cared deeply about infrastructure in our nation. we want to hear about their thoughts on the issues of the day with transportation and how we might make our message a little more effective. after we have heard from our guests, our plan is to hear from gary thomas of dallas start. gary will share his perspectives on working with congress. that we have the advocate -- advocacy group. i will tell you more about her later. let's begin. first is my deep pleasure and honor to introduce the

congressman. he represents the 14th district of ohio which is in northeast ohio. my sister lives in his district. they are all voters. i do know what to put pressure on them. the 14th district is that northeast corner east of cleveland. he is in his ninth term. he is a member of the house appropriations committee and the transportation appropriations subcommittee. he has been a strong voice in congress for many years for the importance of infrastructure investment. he has been with us on numerous occasions. please join me in welcoming him back. [applause] >> thank you, sir.

it is a pleasure to be here. i know i'm going to be followed by one of my great friends. there are a lot of myths about washington. one is that we do not get along. that is not true. this town has a lot to do with relationships. earl and i have been luck will -- lucky to work together on a number of issues. i wish i could stand before you and tell you there is good news in what is about to occur relative to transportation funding but that would be a big fat lie. i spent 14 years of the transportation committee. i was there when t21 was put into legislation. that was a good piece of legislation.

chairman schuster pushed the envelope. he amended the house to rule -- house rule, but at the tiem is -- time it was good. the appropriators were always constrained to the level of authorization of the bill. that continued through the next bill. we delivered it two a year as of late. we got into a dustup with president bush. he indicated that because of the declining revenues and the trust fund, -- in the trust fund, that flew in the face of the dot's estimates that we needed billions of dollars to get the job that and have an effective highway program in the united states.

after two years of peeing putting --ping ponging back and forth, we were woefully inadequate. it became the poster child for what is wrong with washington. that included the infamous bridge to nowhere. that started this forward cascade of, the earmarks are bad, a transportation funding is bad, that brant that sticks up -- sticks with us today even though a couple of weeks ago somebody said we are going to defund the bridge to nowhere. of alaska wants to build it, let them use their own money. it is up to them whether they want to construct it or not. we now find ourselves operating under a series of short-term

extensions. they are the death knell of transportation. how could you plan for anything? you do not know what the money is going to be six months from now or six years from now. you cannot contract with the engineer to draw the plant. you cannot begin to hire the work force to get things ready to go. you cannot talk to the orange barrel people to make sure they are squared away. you cannot buy buses or retro -- retrofit athletes because you do not know where the revenue stream is. i would love to tell you there will be a six year bill but i do not know how that will be the case. i have a great deal of affection for the current chair but on my side i still got something known as the steering committee. everyone comes before us what they want to be chairman for something. i asked how he is going to come

up with a six year highway bill. no one has figured out where the money is going to come up -- come from. he said private partnerships. again, how are you going to get the six year highway bill. no one wants to address the funding shortfall which was a great idea when dwight eisenhower was developing the interstate highway system. it is not doable today in 2011. a top of that, i was a little disappointed, i have been up on president bush and now i will beat up on president obama, now that he is a cabinet secretary he has consumed to the kool-aid, but he came before our subcommittee and said we are going on in 18 months listening to court rather than coming up

with a proposal. i do not know what the hell they are listening to. we have known we needed to raise the gas tax. if we had the courage of our convictions in 2005 and actually confronted president bush and said we need quality and the trust fund, we would not be having this conversation today. we had -- we did not. this 18 month for listening to people say, i would doubt your message had changed but -- you need money. it runs for systems and creates jobs. at the end of the day, unless we raise the gas tax, and lest we have -- unless we have decisions to told more, to --ll more, you

do not get to a $200 billion bill. everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die. [laughter] that is where we find ourselves with this set of discussions. i dealt -- i know this was your kickoff. let me tell you something. you need to get in people's faces. do not come to my office. [laughter] but go to everyone else's office and get in their faces. this is a tough time. we have the serious deficit problem we will have to come to terms with. all of the people i have seen watching the different groups, they are redeemed their hands -- wringing their hands, you have to go in and ask for something. there is the difference between spending, where we just take a bunch of your money and shoved

out the door, and investment. every billion dollars spent creates jobs from the people who do construction and run the trains to the asphalt and concrete ties. --gues. you have to talk about being an investment. there is no fair way to find something. it is a user fee. if you use it, you pay for it. even the knuckle draggers that have been elected and say they hate taxes, i do not know how we are going to function unless we spent something. at the end of the day, this is there. -- if you doing not operate on the road, you do not pay for them. d.c. with transit and everything

else. you have to get in to these offices during your time here. if you go into and say, we know times are tough, if you could hold us to the safety levels, that is not. you have to go in and say this is an important thing. gas prices are expected to hit $5. how are we going to move people? hourly going to build america? how're we going to put people back to work unless you have a robust street in the transportation sector. [applause] if you do not do that, you will get what you get. you will live -- limp along and you will see people laid off across the country. you will see a thing not in a state of good repair. you can change that during this

visit of the hill. when you visit with them, this really matters. a lot of us, we talk about the 30,000 foot level, the deficit is a trillion and a half. affectslk about what everybody everyday when they get up and have to figure out how to get to work or whether they will have a job and feed and clothe their families. i need to have a good message if you choose to exercise it. it keeps you to limp in, shame on you. shame on you when your system's deterioration. this is a big deal. this debt but said that was elected in my party, they are serious. the change the house rules at the beginning. we tried to keep them from changing the rule, but no

longer is the opera -- authorization coupled with authorization. they could change at any level they want to. it does not have to be what is coming into the trust fund. this is a big fight. if you did not treated as a big fight, unfortunate things are going to happen. i will close with this before i invite my good friend of to share his -- i hope you have a happier speech. but we are happy. i am from ohio. we are celebrating this year. this is the first year that we have not had an ohio member of congress in prison. [laughter] we are very much happy about that. i will close with a story about why this is important and why what you did last time does not

matter. this is a new battle. it was a story talk to me by one of the fellows who was in prison. the great thing about congress this how he got out of prison and ran for congress again. being a felon does not exclude you. he told the story of these three televangelists and their wives. they were driving in a bus of some sort. a tragedy strikes and they are dispatched to heaven. state peter is considering whether to let them in. the first one that says, i deserve to get in. he says, everybody knows you love of money or the end the lord. that is why your wife's name is patty. everyone says you love --

everyone knows you love liquor. your wife's name is brandy. the third one is preparing his speech. he has to admit to his wife, fanny, i built the court getting in here. we're getting in here. [laughter] [applause] >> that is why i am happy to be from the midwest. common sense. that is what we just heard. we're going to hear some more common sense and truth telling. the addis what our -- that is what our message needs to be. a longtime friend of transit and friend of transit a builder of transit.

he has represented the third district of oregon for many years. he is the founder of the revolution conference and has been good e knapp -- good enough to come address us here. please welcome the honorable earl -- [applause] >> thank you. i appreciate your partnership over the years. it is a pleasure to be on the platform with the gentleman who is my friend. i agree with about 99% of what he just said. it is straightforward. it is hard to get an opinion from him sometimes. [laughter] i appreciate his consistency. we served on the transportation

committee. we watched what happened with mr. schuster. it was a great trading. it was great to be a part of that. i deeply appreciate steve even though he has transitioned to appropriations. but he keeps his interest in infrastructure and redoing the country and trying to keep things real on the house floor. i am pleased he is willing to part with me where we have brought together a wide range of constituents in dealing with the infrastructure. we are able to stratagem is to get there. it is never more important to do that rather that -- other than this year. i left the committee with the idea i wanted to make sure there was more money for the operators

to authorize and for steve to spend. we emperor -- we have been pursuing a variety of issues. i am happy to support an increase in the gas tax. i am happy to deal with other funding mechanisms like a barrel tax. my state debut the -- gave you the the first -- i like to think we are pioneering efforts to end the gas tax and introduce a mile travelled feet. steve is right about the value of user-fees. people use the system help pay for the system. there is a connection there. the problem is we are severing the relationship between rhode

utilization and gallons of fuel consumed. we are seeing an efficient diesel trucks. we have to increase the fuel efficiency standards for passenger cars. 30 years since congress last did that. we are looking at hybrid cars, electric cars, we are involved in a downward spiral. what of the hearings --one of the hearings last congress, the president of aaa pointed out that since the last time we increased the federal gas tax, the cost per mile has declined 50% because of a modest increase in the fuel efficient -- efficiency. the average american is paying less than 50% per mile than they did in 1993.

the cost of wear and tear have not declined. you are right in the middle of this freight. -- fray. what i think is a fortune that budget resolution passed by the house has some significant reductions in transit that would have an impact of some 200,000 jobs. problems in terms of people being able to get to work precisely at the time there is more stress on tread the systems around the country. they are suffering from declining revenue from property, from sales tax, but pressure for operations. this could not be a more bill kind -- more ill timed.

$5 a gallon, who knows how high yvettes in the middle east will develop to the point we are talking about $2 a barrel for oil. one does not know. it is in the realm of possibility to hit the $5 a gallon mark. it puts us in a vulnerable position as a nation. in terms of national security, we would not be involved in the middle east if it was not because of our reliance on oil that is not making any more of. it is extracted from dangerous places in a dirtier fashion. it is a matter of paul led security. many of you -- homeland security. many of you what happened on the 9/11. the city could not have

functioned in the aftermath of that without the transit system. the about what happens withrit rita and katrina. we can make people safer. it is a fundamental human right. a third of the people cannot drive. or they do not just -- or they don't want to. they need to have access as well. you are here at a fascinating time. steve said that in his own understated fashion. you are watching opposing world views that are acting their way out. steve and i are moderate sort of guys. we kind of agree. there are some who are absolutely convinced that the united states is on its way to

being greece. that we are on the edge of financial collapse, spiralling debt ended and ability to function as a nation. it is because we have spent too much and borrowed too much. we have overregulated the economy. we need to slash spending, rate in that these regulations, turned the private sector it loose and be able to bring forward this new add-on of prosperity and harmony --dawn of prosperity and harmony. there is an opposing point of view that the reason we almost whatever the edge was not too much regulation but was bill adult supervision with the geniuses on wall street pushing the limits. it was not a problem of over

investing in infrastructure but that the economic recovery act was too timid and did not have enough for infrastructure. we need to invest in rebuilding this country in energy. we need to put the country back together to be on the part with our competitors around the world, countries like china and india. there is not at all -- not a lot of overlap in those world views. you have an opportunity to agree with rhee's the people that there is a way to help people come back to where we can get something done. you can make the case in a practical sense of what transit investments have made in your community, what difference it makes economic elite and the terms of the fabric of the

community, the environment, be able to deal with social equity. you have a case to make. i am proud of what we have done in oregon. transit made it possible for parliament to be america's best to european city. we have made it a place. they laugh about bill people going there to retire. the quality of life is good enough that people feel like they are retiring. young people are coming. we can strengthen our downtown. we give people a transportation choices. there has been reinvested in areas that would not have been possible were it not for transit. we need you to advocate for what transit means for you now and in the future. we need you to advocate for the national framework.

we need a plan. we cannot muddle along. we have already had at seven extensions. we had 12 last time. this is no way to run a transit agency. it gets in the way of being able to deal with the problems that our communities have. we need more money. absolutely. this is adjusted for inflation. we are watching the decline of our infrastructure. the percentage of our gross national pride that, this is a minute -- minuscule percentage. i've been working with the ways and means to go forward on this. i am excited and look at of the deficit-reduction commission. we've met with senator simpson,

they propose to 15 cents worth of gas tax increase phased in over the next couple of years to deal with but the transportation and because it is a problem for the deficit. $34 billion just to keep this inadequate level afloat. there is a need to reform the system. i am convinced that with your help, with a friend brea good, r --ela hod, -- rela hood, how many have you done in dallas? gary thomas cannot keep track. the fact is these are not the experiments. people know what to do.

if you have a responsible agency, cut them loose. make them responsible for results. weekend fast track this stuff. we can have a lighter touch. we can move it forward more aggressively. it is important to make the local connection with people on capitol hill matter their ideology, wherever they are from, whatever their party. as i work around the country, i am in a different committee once or twice a month. i am struck by how at the local level rebuilding and reeling is not partisan. there is broad agreement from environmental groups, local media, business people, it is important to move forward or you would not have done it in the

phoenix, salt lake, or dallas. if you can help us translate that broad bipartisan support for what your doing locally, for having a reasonable federal partnership, it will make a huge difference for people like steve and me to advocate for you going forward. thank you very much. [applause] >> are more common sense from both gentlemen. we have a couple of minutes. both have agreed to take a question or two. if we have someone who wants to step up to the microphone and get a little more information from our guests, we would be pleased to recognize that. >> congressman, you promised to advocate last week that you

would be a sponsor of the complete street bill. i wanted to hear about your commitment and how that fits in with the transit movement. >> i did, with your surrounded by these people wearing spandex clothing, their muscles are much larger than they look normally. i did indicate i was a sponsor. when it is ready i will do it again. we started out with a rocky experience. you may have read it was reported a suggested the secretary was on drugs. i did not do that. he wanted to invade the highway trust fund, i asked if there was still mandatory drug testing. it got this reported. --mis -reported.

i am convinced it is a good piece of legislation. it is a good one for those areas that are exploring. it has mike co-sponsors ship and my full support. there was more reaction to the attacks on the highway trust fund. one of the disciplines we have with the bush administration was when mary peters kept talking about the 106 their version of the way from the trust fund. their answer was to eliminate those and get everything done we needed to get done. that is clearly not the case. we need more money not only for the surface program but for transit and complete streets. i am proud to be a supporter.

i want to make one observation based on what girl said -- earl said, the people who want to reduce taxes, i was horrified when president obama said that in the state of the union. it caught me off guard. [laughter] >> i have a hand microphone i did not have a moment ago. >> from the capital city coalition. we have done work in columbus, ohio and did lorain county. your courageous comment about getting in their face, i think that might be an opportunity for the grass-roots advocate to go in and tell the story about the fact that in this last election cycle, 77% of transit referenda

past. would it not make sense for us to tell folks that they see what they are paying for, they will support it? we will end up with a patchwork of local stuff, what would be the national response that you would recommend to solve that problem? >> i knew that would happen. i will tell you. one of my disappointments about the stimulus bill and some of these things going on in the country now is that my view has always been the formula for the states established has worked well. it is based on population and the setback nature. there has been a shift under both administrations where they

have squirreled money away. it is nice if you get a tiger grant as we did in ohio. but it does not take care of the entire country. i would like to see, and we have talked a lot to the passenger rail folks in ohio, that the restoration of through passenger rail in the united states would take care of -- it will take big money and a real investment. it is embarrassing when i travel over to asia or europe and i know they do not have the free tyrrell, but to see how they move people.

i may, if you build it, they will come, a kind of guy, her former governor rolled it out in a horrible way. it was a a 39 mile per hour range. you could get their twice as fast. people were not ready to hop on board. if you were to build a truly high-speed, high speed being under 12 miles per hour or above the york and cleveland, i think you can change the public debate. once people see it is cost- effective, and then it becomes a reality. you have to build a the airlines and you have to work collaborative -- collaborative lely.

i know i am cleveland-center, but one goes to pittsburgh. imagine all of the sports fans going back and forth on a day of trade. >> the of the -- think of the beer we'd sell. >> i believe these are issues of regional significance. these corridors not only are expensive but we need to have a harmonizing approach to deal with them. bedrolls money can help do that, provide money that would not be otherwise available. 42% of the airline trips and the united states are 350 miles or

less. if we look at gasoline prices going up when fuel costs are predicated on petroleum at $100 a barrel, or $200 a barrel, this stuff ceases to make sense. it is much more efficient for the 200 mile trip to be higher speed rail. we have the capacity in this country with most of the existing technology to do it. that is within our capacity. it will not take much for people to walk on that support it. my hope is that it there is broader legislation so we are dealing with freight, we are dealing with passenger movement. that will make a difference

rather than piecemeal. >> you get our last question. make it a good one. >> at the tip will be. i am a board member in stockton, california. i will preface my question by saying i am a former elected official. i have been on your side of the microphone. i appreciate you coming out and be willing to expose yourself. [laughter] i am leading up to it. the response to this question is going to be complicated. i hope that is not part of your response. up or down opinion on domestic oil drilling, including offshore. thank you. >> i happen to be a co-sponsor of something called all of the

above. all of the means you just mentioned also includes a robust nuclear title that does not emit greenhouse gases. we have a nuclear power plant in ohio that sits on the shore of lake erie. most of my kids went to high school, they got to go to the college because mom and dad worked building the power plant. there are jobs. i am and all of the above kind of guy. we have blanched a little bit. we had a guy that took his shirt off and took some pictures. i want to be clear sense as the television camera that earl and i have never exposed ourselves. [laughter] >> thank you for your question.